USF Contemporary Art Museum expands to St. Petersburg

The University of South Florida’s College of the Arts and the Contemporary Art Museum are expanding to The Factory St. Pete. A ribbon cutting ceremony happens at The Factory (2622 Fairfield Ave. S) at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 20. Interested members of the community are invited to attend.

Anticipated to open in the fall in a 3,100-square-foot renovated industrial space, Generator: USF Contemporary Art Museum is an “incubator of new ideas and a place for expanded artistic experimentation,” according to a news release from USF’s College of the Arts.

Generator: USF Contemporary Art Museum is in partnership with USF St. Petersburg and the City of St. Petersburg, and will offer a new dimension to the city’s arts community by providing free access to a space for research, exploration and experimentation. It has also received generous support from The Factory, Behar + Peteranecz architecture firm, and the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.

The Factory St. Pete is an arts destination home to artists’ studios, the arts attraction Fairgrounds St. Pete, Daddy Kool Records and Sunshine State Goods.

The focus at Generator will be primarily on the moving image and time-based contemporary art, with exhibitions, public programs and special projects that invite audience engagement. Works by national, international, regional and local artists will be presented.

The expansion will build upon the museum’s dedication to presenting innovative programming and highlighting untold stories and emerging artists through digital media, film, and “advanced visualization technologies and platforms.”

Programming will address environmental, social and political issues. Projects will focus on equity and justice, using artists’ perspectives to “illuminate diverse knowledge, excluded histories, and practices for future resiliency in an uncertain time.”